Everyday, there are humans living in poverty and in hospitals who strive to survive so that they can live another day. In the novel Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, Snowman, the protagonist, tries to survive on an isolated land with the children of Oryx and Crake, and in the novel La Prisonniere by Malika Oufkir, translated by Michelle Fitoussi, Malika tries to survive twenty years in a desert gaol. In both novels, the characters realize that survival is challenging, however, with the companionship of others, they figure out it is possible to survive and to gain freedom.In both novels, the main characters find it difficult to survive in isolation.

To begin with, Snowman faces a difficult situation, as the compounds have been destroyed and as a result, limited resources are available.Snowman is starving as he tries to save his food: "He's stashed some mangoes… a precious half bottle of Scotch- no, more like a third- and a chocolate flavoured energy bar scrounged from a trailer park, limp and sticky inside its foil"(Atwood, 4).Healthy food is the key to survival and without this resource, Snowman's health is slowing weakening day by day. Limited clothes and shelter also make Snowman's life very difficult to live in the paradise project land as these are also the basic necessities of life.
Furthermore, Snowman desperately misses his luxurious life in the compound.Before, when Snowman lived in OrganInc compound, he had the luxuries of an indoor swimming pool, a small gym, furniture and high speed bullet trains (26-27).Snowman's past experiences make it difficult for him to live in the paradise land where there is limited technology. His painstaking memories of previous years remind him of his easy life and this makes it hard for Snowman to face the harsh conditions.

Like Snowman, Malika faces difficulties living in the desert gaol.Malika's necessities of life are limited when she is kept in prison to slowly die.Malika explains that due to the government's rationed food, she and her family were at a point of starvation: "We fantasized about a piece of meat, we salivated when the smell of the guards' tagine wafted in on the wind. Then we were as excited as hounds scenting their quarry"(Oufkir, 211).Food is the chief resource that keeps a human alive and without this, survival is hard especially in a hot desert prison like Malika's family. Similar to Snowman's limited resources, Malika has rationed water, ragged clothes, no fresh air and spoiled food.Malika had a luxurious city life in the past, similar to Snowman but now, she can only hear silence rather than the sounds of the city.Malika slowly forgets the noise of the city, the conversations on the streets, the car horns, the telephone rings and all the familiar sounds of the city that her family really misses (203-204).When Malika lived in the city, she was the King's adopted daughter hence, her luxuries and basic necessities of life were easy to obtain. Now, past memories make it difficult for her to survive in the prison, as the harsh conditions and the reality that she is not living in the city anymore must be faced.Therefore, survival is difficult during harsh times without the basic necessities of life.

Despite the difficult times, companions will help one obtain freedom.Due to the children of Oryx and Crake, Snowman is determined to survive.He thinks, "Despite their irritating qualities- among which he counts their naïve optimism, their open friendliness, their calmness and their limited vocabularies- he feels protective towards them"(153).Snowman feels that despite all the arduous circumstances he must tolerate to survive, he should stay alive to guide the children and develop their future. Snowman slowly believes that survival is possible if he has a purpose, and now he is eagerly determined to survive.Also, due to the children, Snowman pursues freedom as his companions make him realize that he is not the last human on earth.They tell Snowman that they saw others who had skin and hair on their face like him and that they went along the beach (364-365).Due to the children's information, Snowman finally finds freedom when he discovers the humans whom he has been searching for a long time. Thus, companions can lead one to achieving their freedom.

Similar to Snowman, Malika finds a purpose to survive the harsh conditions of the prison: her family.Malika's family was in misery as they could not communicate, their health was deteriorating, diseases were born and morale was low.Malika helped her family by listening, comforting, advising, storytelling and at the end of the day she was tired by using her energy to support them. But she said that they were her reason for living (213).Due to her companions, Malika is more determined that she must survive to help her family and like Snowman, her family makes Malika realize that survival is possible if life has a purpose.Next, Malika and her family escape the horrible life of the desert prison by building a five metre tunnel."On 27 January 1987, we smashed the concrete and eased up the slabs with a spoon, a knife handle, the lid of a sardine tin and an iron bar from one of our beds. By we, I mean Maria, Soukaina and myself. Mimi was in no condition to help us, but she encouraged us and was very efficient when it came to clearing away the earth"(252-253).Although Malika's sisters were weak from starvation, rats in the prison, attempted suicides and isolation from the real world, they were determined to obtain freedom and it was due to them, that Malika started her road to freedom.Their tunnel was the escape to their past life, just like Snowman and eventually after many years, in February 1991, Malika and her family finally became free.

In conclusion, both Snowman and Malika realize that despite the challenges involved in surviving without the basic necessities of life, if one has companions, survival will be possible and freedom can be achieved.